Another Reason to Not Get Vitamin D from the Sun

We all have a friend who uses vitamin D as an excuse to sit in the sun without sunscreen. And while I’ve told you before that this is the worst way to get Vitamin D if you actually need it, today I want to tell you about a new skin cancer study which may just convince you to seek non-sun sources for your vitamin D.

In the summer time, there’s more sunshine, and the people who are afraid they don’t have enough vitamin D are smiling. So are the people who really are vitamin D deficient. They’re smiling because they know that the closest star to the earth, our incredibly powerful sun, can whip up a hefty dose of allegedly needed Vitamin D when it shines on our skin despite the known risks of unprotected sun exposure… and this sun induced impulsion to risk sun damage in the form of wrinkles and skin cancer, by not using sunscreen just because you’re trying to get more natural Vitamin D, this seasonal impulsion becomes epidemic despite the availability of adequate amounts of dietary Vitamin D.

But I’m going to tell you some news from a recent medical study that will burst their bubble and hopefully may even coax some of these summer sun addicts to resume using sunscreen and instead resort to dietary Vitamin D supplements if their doctor tests their Vitamin D and finds it to be truly below normal.

The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, examined the association of Vitamin D blood levels with non melanoma skin cancer, which consists of the 2 more common and less deadly types of skin cancer: Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Leaving out the boring stats and drama, the bottom line was that this study suggests that that there is a direct association of high serum Vitamin D levels and these two non melanoma skin cancers.

This study was the largest prospective study to date that addressed this question with over 2000 participants. That’s a huge sample size!

While this study doesn’t prove it, it very highly suggests that both the higher levels of Vitamin D and the elevated incidence of non melanoma skin cancer were both due to the same factor: sun exposure.

This conclusion reinforces what I have said on DermTV in the past: to get enough Vitamin D from unprotected sun exposure, you risk incurring both the degenerative effects of the sun on your skin: namely premature aging consisting of lines, wrinkles, sun spots, sagging skin, loss of collagen, elstistic tissue and youthful skin tones… and of course, you also risk the carcinogenic effects of the sun in the form of non melamona skin cancer.

Now for today's skincare trivia! Answer today's question correctly and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a free skincare product! Submit your answer at DermTV Dot Com Slash Trivia, within three days of this episode's airing. Today's question is:

What's the best way to find out if you are really Vitamin D deficient?

And don't forget. You can find the answer to this and all questions in past DermTV episodes.

We all know at least someone who uses "needing vitamin d" as an excuse to sit in the sun, without sun protection, and get a tan. And while Dr. Schultz has stated before that there are safer ways to get vitamin d, the report he shares in today's episode will make you think twice about getting your vitamin d from the sun.